Jacobs, Bonamici Lead Call for Investment in Child Care, Early Childhood Education
Today Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) led nearly 70 Members in calling on the Biden administration to make affordable, high quality child care and early childhood education a top priority in the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget by providing no less than $390 billion, matching the level in the House-passed Build Back Better Act.
The amount included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act would make significant progress toward addressing the care economy’s long-standing national challenges and recognize care as essential economic infrastructure.
“Although the bold vision we arrived at in the Build Back Better Act was not passed in the Senate, there remains substantial public momentum to address the child care crisis that is preventing families from finding or affording the care and education that they and their young children need,” the lawmakers wrote.
House Democrats in the previous Congress included nearly $400 billion to cap child care expenses nationally at seven percent of income for most households, deliver universal preschool access, and pay child care providers and Head Start educators a living wage.
“Child care and early learning are the backbone of our economy, yet families struggle to find and afford care while early educators scrape by on poverty-level wages. We need comprehensive and long-term solutions that invest in child care and early learning as a public good,” said Melissa Boteach, Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning at National Women’s Law Center.” We thank Congresswomen Bonamici and Jacobs for leading the call to include child care and early learning investments of no less than $390 billion in the President’s FY2024 Budget proposal. This House-passed Build Back Better-level funding is essential to addressing the deep-rooted challenges faced by working families across the country, as well as those in the child care and early learning workforce.”
Reporting from the Center for American Progress shows that the child care workforce dropped by 11 percent during the previous decade and then lost an additional 12 percent from 2019 to 2020, primarily because child care providers cannot offer competitive wages to their workers without raising already expensive care prices.
Recently released data from the Department of Labor Women’s Bureau shows that child care is just too expensive for most families.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below. In addition to Jacobs and Bonamici, the letter was signed by Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Cori Bush (D-MO). Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Angie Craig (D-MN), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Danny Davis (D-IL), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). Al Green (D-TX), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Val Hoyle (D-OR), William Keating (D-MA), Daniel Kildee (D-MI), Ann Kuster (D-NH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Lucy McBath (D-GA), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Susan Wild (D-PA), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).
In addition to American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and National Women’s Law Center, the letter is supported by Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), First Focus Campaign for Children, National Education Association, National Head Start Association, and ZERO TO THREE
Jacobs and Bonamici previously led more than half the House Democratic Caucus in a push to double child care funding in FY23 federal budget. Bonamici also released an in-depth report on the state of child care in Oregon and across the nation, "Child Care in Crisis: Solutions to Support Working Families, Children, and Educators," and led a bill to to invest in child care resources connected to affordable housing in the 117th Congress.
Dear Director Young,
We commend the Biden Administration for its historic work to advance child care and early learning, including through its commitment in prior budgets and the American Families Plan. As you finalize the budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024, we respectfully urge you to include child care and early learning investments of no less than the level in the House-passed Build Back Better Act – $390 billion over six years – in the FY 2024 budget.
The President’s commitment to “make the largest investment in child care in the nation’s history," including proposing $425 billion over ten years in his American Families Plan, resonated with millions of Americans and with members of Congress. Although the bold vision we arrived at in the Build Back Better Act was not passed in the Senate, there remains substantial public momentum to address the child care crisis that is preventing families from finding or affording the care and education that they and their young children need.
Even though House and Senate Democrats recently secured a critical funding increase, significant gaps remain to adequately meet the needs of children and families. Data from previous years show that only one in nine eligible young children receive child care assistance. Increasing funding would help reach families most in need, expand support for the child care and early learning workforce, and increase child care supply.
Investments in high-quality child care and Head Start are among the most fiscally responsible investments we can make, improving children’s long-term outcomes and strengthening our economy. House Democrats were proud to vote for the child care relief provided through the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), which has been essential in preventing the sector from total collapse and vital to our economic recovery. Although crucial, these ARPA stabilization funds are temporary and do not diminish the need for increased and sustained child care funding to address long-standing challenges, including a decline in child care providers, rising costs, and inadequate availability of subsidies to meet the needs of eligible children and families. For these reasons, we again urge you to include the highest level of funding possible for child care and early learning, and no less than $390 billion - the level in the House-passed Build Back Better Act.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. We appreciate your leadership on this issue and look forward to working with you to continue to improve our nation’s child care sector.
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